New football facility in Wigan welcomes next generation of superstars

It follows investment totalling in excess of £5m from Wigan Council and a grant worth £7.6m from the Football Foundation - who enable people to get more from the game they love through various projects.

The two Wigan facilities, at Laithwaite Park, Worsley Hall, and Williams Foster, Ince, are now open to the public. The Ince site includes the Ella Toone pitch, opened by the Manchester United and Lioness star herself earlier this year.

And with all the pre-match waiting now over, representatives from Wigan Council and the sites’ operators Leisure United were given a tour of Laithwaite Park’s facilities this week.

Coun Nazia Rehman, cabinet member for resources, finance and transformation, said: “We’re delighted to see these amazing new hubs now open to our communities as the excitement has been building for us ever since we gave the green light to this project.

“These state-of-the-art pitches and facilities will make a massive impact for sport, health and wellbeing in our borough and we’re proud of our investment and partnership work with the Football Foundation. I wish to thank all the staff involved with this project, particularly Jorge Solis for the role he has played.”

There are a total of five full-size floodlit 3G football turf pitches across the two sites meaning that they can be used all year round along with a community cafe and meeting room facilities available.

Coun Chris Ready, cabinet member for communities, said: “The football hubs will be a focal point for local communities and organisations, providing wide-ranging benefits and a lasting impact. This is a massive investment in a deprived area and a legacy for the council. This will help get children in this area off the streets and tackle obesity along with other mental health aspects at the same time.

“We have a strong sporting tradition here in Wigan Borough across many sports so investing in our next generation of sporting superstars is a key priority for us. Tom Flower who passed away last year was a key figure in everything for this project which we began in 2018.”

The Football Foundation is the Premier League, The FA and Government’s charity and delivers outstanding grassroots facilities which are affordable and sustainable.

Dean Hogan, director of operations, said: “Good quality facilities like these in Wigan can have a transformative impact on people’s physical and mental wellbeing and bringing people together to strengthen local communities.

“We have already welcomed many of the community and look forward to welcoming many more now we are open.”

Matt Dawber, Labour Councillor for Douglas Ward said: “A facility like this in a deprived area is massively important for the residents here, it’s an affordable and centralised place for the community to access.”

The pitches are available from 9am to 10pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday, and 9am to 5pm on bank holidays.

More information about the facility and the future tournaments to be held can be found on the Leisure United website.